| 1999 |
Verney, Steven P. |
R03Activity Code Description:
To provide research support specifically limited in time and amount for studies in categorical program areas. Small grants provide flexibility for initiating studies which are generally for preliminary short-term projects and are non-renewable. |
Pupillometry, Information Processing, and Culture @ University of California San Diego
DESCRIPTION (Applicant's abstract): The broad goal of this project is to advance our understanding of the relationship between culture and information processing efficiency. Hispanic students have typically shown a half of a standard deviation lower differential on WAIS-R scores (Suzuki, Meller, and Ponterotto, 1996) and an 80 points or more lower differential on 600-point SAT scores (Pearson, 1993) than their Caucasian counterparts. Information processing tasks are thought to be able to tap into discrete components, or stages of processing, of an individual's overall general cognitive functioning and are thought to have fewer cultural influences than other forms of cognitive testing. Saccuzzo, Johnson, and Guertin (1994) have demonstrated that measures of efficiency of information processing (i.e., the Visual Backward Masking, VBM, task) had the strongest relationship with both IQ and membership in a gifted program when compared to other information processing tasks and there were no differences in ethnicity on the VBM task. Inspection time (IT) on the VBM task has demonstrated a reliable, substantial correlation with IQ measures, accounting for approximately 20% of the variance in intelligence (Deary & Stough, 1996). Furthermore, psychophysiological measures are theorized to be more culture-fair than standardized cognitive ability tests. Task-evoked pupillary responses have been shown to index 'mental effort' (Beatty, 1982), and individuals with higher cognitive ability show lower pupillary response to cognitive tasks (Ahern & Beatty, 1979). The proposed project will examine the relationship between efficiency of information processing on the VBM task and higher-order general cognitive capacity (Satz-Mogel Abbreviated Version of the WAIS-R and SAT scores) for Mexican-American and Caucasian undergraduate students and how the level of acculturation (Scale of Ethnic Experience, SEE) may moderate this relationship. In addition, by utilizing a psychophysiological measure (pupillary responses) to investigate cognitive/neural efficiency during performance on the VBM task, this project will provide an additional novel approach to measuring the relationship between cognitive capacities and culture. METHODS: Forty Caucasian and forty Mexican-American undergraduate students will be given a visual backward masking (VBM) task and task- evoked pupillary responses, and detection accuracy on the task will be obtained. Associations between indices of efficiency of information processing and the students' WAIS-R and SAT scores will be evaluated. Subjects will be screened on the Scale of Ethnic Experience (SEE) to ensure a broad range of acculturation within the sample.
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0.955 |
| 2008 — 2009 |
Verney, Steven P. |
P20Activity Code Description:
To support planning for new programs, expansion or modification of existing resources, and feasibility studies to explore various approaches to the development of interdisciplinary programs that offer potential solutions to problems of special significance to the mission of the NIH. These exploratory studies may lead to specialized or comprehensive centers. |
Component 5: Verney @ University of New Mexico
0-11 years old; Address; Affect; Age; Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol consumption; American Indian; American Indians; Animals; Attention; Basal Ganglia; Basal Nuclei; Behavioral; Brain; Caucasian; Caucasian Race; Caucasians; Caucasoid; Caucasoid Race; Cerebellum; Characteristics; Child; Child Youth; Children (0-21); Clinical Treatment; Cognition; Cognitive; Cognitive deficits; Computer information processing; Condition; Consensus; Construction; Corpus Callosum; Corpus Callosums; Cranial Nerve II; Cross Sectional Analysis; Cross-Sectional Analyses; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cross-Sectional Survey; Data; Development; Disease; Disease Frequency Surveys; Disorder; Disruption; EXTMR; Economics; Encephalon; Encephalons; EtOH drinking; Expenditure; Extramural; Extramural Activities; Eye; Eyeball; FASD; Facility Construction Funding Category; Family; Fetal Alcohol Exposure; Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder; Fetal ETOH Exposure; Fetal Ethanol Exposure; Funding; Gender; Goals; High Prevalence; Hispanic Americans; Human, Child; IQ Deficit; Impairment; In Utero Alcohol Exposure; In Utero ETOH Exposure; In Utero Ethanol Exposure; Indians, American; Individual; Information Processing, Human; Intelligence; Investigators; Language; Lead; Learning; Link; Marshal; Masks; Measures; Memory; Memory, Immediate; Memory, Short-Term; Memory, Shortterm; Mental Processes; Methods; Nervous System, Brain; Neurocognitive; Neurocognitive Deficit; New Mexico; Numbers; Occidental; Optic Nerve; Pb element; Performance; Phenotype; Pilot Projects; Population; Prenatal Alcohol Exposure; Prenatal ETOH Exposure; Prenatal Ethanol Exposure; Process; Process Measure; Processing, Information; Psyche structure; Psychology, Physiologic; Psychology, Physiological; Psychophysiological; Psychophysiology; Purpose; Pursuit, Saccadic; Pursuit, Smooth; QOL; Quality of life; Rate; Reflex; Reflex action; Reporting; Research; Research Personnel; Researchers; SPEM; Saccades; Saccadic Eye Movements; Sampling; Second Cranial Nerve; Short-Term Memory; Smooth Pursuit; Southwest U.S.; Southwest US; Southwestern United States; Spanish Americans; Speed; Speed (motion); Staging; Structure; System; System, LOINC Axis 4; Task Performances; Testing; Variant; Variation; Visual; Visual Perception; Visual System; Visual system structure; Work; aged; alcohol ingestion; alcohol intake; alcohol product use; alcohol use; alcohol-exposed pregnancy; alcoholic beverage consumption; alcoholic drink intake; brain size; children; cognitive function; comparison group; disease/disorder; ethanol consumption; ethanol drinking; ethanol ingestion; ethanol intake; ethanol product use; ethanol use; ethnic minority; ethnic minority population; etoh use; executive control; executive function; experience; exposed to alcohol prenatally; gestation ETOH exposure; gestation alcohol exposure; gestation ethanol exposure; health disparities; health disparity; heavy metal Pb; heavy metal lead; human study; indexing; insight; mental; neurobehavioral; neurobehavioral test; neuroimaging; novel; ocular motor; ocularmotor; oculomotor; pilot study; pregnancy ETOH exposure; pregnancy alcohol exposure; pregnancy ethanol exposure; prenatal; prenatally alcohol exposed; prenatally exposed to alcohol; psycho-physiological; psychologic; psychological; response; smooth pursuit eye movement; social; socioeconomic; socioeconomically; socioeconomics; tool; trial regimen; trial treatment; unborn; white race; working memory; youngster
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1 |
| 2015 — 2019 |
Verney, Steven P. |
R01Activity Code Description:
To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Rhythm and Timing Exercises For Cerebral Vascular Disease in American Indians @ University of New Mexico
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): American Indians (AIs) experience a disproportionately high incidence of cerebrovascular disease (CBVD) relative to non-Indians with twice the stroke rate of the general US population. Neuroimaging techniques have shown CBVD-related brain abnormalities to be associated with disruption of neurpsychological performance. Therapy for post-stroke cognitive impairment has been challenging. Cognitive therapy involves intense, focused, regular mental activity, intellectual stimulation, and behaviora exercises that assist individuals to regain or maintain cognitive function. and reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline and dementia after brain insult. Interactive Metronome (IM) therapy is a promising form of behavioral therapy for CBVD-related cognitive and motor function. This technology uses operant conditioning of an individual's responses through simple, repetitive motor tasks (e.g., clapping hands, tapping feet) in time with a set beat. Through visual and auditory feedback, IM addresses processing speed, attention, and immediate and delayed memory, all of which can be affected by CBVD. IM therapy can improve quality of life, physical mobility, gait, and CBVD- related cognitive deficits. The ongoing Strong Heart Stroke Study (SHSS) (1R01HL093086-01A1; Dedra Buchwald, PI) is investigating CBVD-related brain abnormalities through MRI scans on 1000 AIs from the original SHS cohort. The proposed study will capitalize on this current SHSS to conduct a randomized, controlled trial to ascertain the effects of a culturally tailored IM intervention on cognition, depression, and quality of life. We ill target SHSS participants with subclinical CVBD defined by impaired cognitive processing speed. We will select a sample of 180 American Indians age 68 to 80 years participating in the SHSS. The specific Aims for this study of older American Indians are as follows: 1) Determine if the culturally-adapted IM intervention can improve cognitive functioning among older AIs with CBVD; and 2) Estimate the impact of IM on health-related quality of life. This study will yield important insights into the relationships among cognitive and motor rehabilitation, neuropsychological assessment, and brain abnormalities that can inform treatment efforts as one way to reducing AI CBVD disparities.
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1 |
| 2017 |
Verney, Steven P. |
R01Activity Code Description:
To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Rhythm and Timing Exercises For Cerebral Vascular Disease in American Indians - Diversity Supplement Resubmission @ University of New Mexico
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): American Indians (AIs) experience a disproportionately high incidence of cerebrovascular disease (CBVD) relative to non-Indians with twice the stroke rate of the general US population. Neuroimaging techniques have shown CBVD-related brain abnormalities to be associated with disruption of neurpsychological performance. Therapy for post-stroke cognitive impairment has been challenging. Cognitive therapy involves intense, focused, regular mental activity, intellectual stimulation, and behaviora exercises that assist individuals to regain or maintain cognitive function. and reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline and dementia after brain insult. Interactive Metronome (IM) therapy is a promising form of behavioral therapy for CBVD-related cognitive and motor function. This technology uses operant conditioning of an individual's responses through simple, repetitive motor tasks (e.g., clapping hands, tapping feet) in time with a set beat. Through visual and auditory feedback, IM addresses processing speed, attention, and immediate and delayed memory, all of which can be affected by CBVD. IM therapy can improve quality of life, physical mobility, gait, and CBVD- related cognitive deficits. The ongoing Strong Heart Stroke Study (SHSS) (1R01HL093086-01A1; Dedra Buchwald, PI) is investigating CBVD-related brain abnormalities through MRI scans on 1000 AIs from the original SHS cohort. The proposed study will capitalize on this current SHSS to conduct a randomized, controlled trial to ascertain the effects of a culturally tailored IM intervention on cognition, depression, and quality of life. We ill target SHSS participants with subclinical CVBD defined by impaired cognitive processing speed. We will select a sample of 180 American Indians age 68 to 80 years participating in the SHSS. The specific Aims for this study of older American Indians are as follows: 1) Determine if the culturally-adapted IM intervention can improve cognitive functioning among older AIs with CBVD; and 2) Estimate the impact of IM on health-related quality of life. This study will yield important insights into the relationships among cognitive and motor rehabilitation, neuropsychological assessment, and brain abnormalities that can inform treatment efforts as one way to reducing AI CBVD disparities.
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1 |
| 2017 — 2021 |
Brave Heart, Maria Yellow Horse
Cacari Stone, Lisa Marie
Sanchez, Gabriel Ramon (co-PI) [⬀]
Verney, Steven P. |
U54Activity Code Description:
To support any part of the full range of research and development from very basic to clinical; may involve ancillary supportive activities such as protracted patient care necessary to the primary research or R&D effort. The spectrum of activities comprises a multidisciplinary attack on a specific disease entity or biomedical problem area. These differ from program project in that they are usually developed in response to an announcement of the programmatic needs of an Institute or Division and subsequently receive continuous attention from its staff. Centers may also serve as regional or national resources for special research purposes, with funding component staff helping to identify appropriate priority needs. |
Transdisciplinary Research, Equity and Engagement Center For Advancing Behavioral Health @ University of New Mexico Health Scis Ctr
PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT We propose an innovative Transdisciplinary Research, Equity and Engagement Center for Advancing Behavioral Health (TREE Center). We propose to expand on and leverage the knowledge, research capacities and cross-sectoral collaborations established by the former NM CARES Health Disparities Center (P20 MD004811, R. Williams, PI). We will use these strengths to specifically target improvement of behavioral health disparities for socioeconomically disadvantaged and underserved rural populations with a southwest regional focus on American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) and Latinos in New Mexico. Our goal is to highlight the social determinants of behavioral health, including Adverse Childhood Experiences, historical trauma, and intersectional effects of poverty and discrimination to improve conditions and outcomes related to youth suicide, alcohol and drug misuse, depression, and access to behavioral health services. The four aims of the TREE Center are to: 1. Implement a co-leadership model in order to promote transdisciplinary, multi-level intervention research that will advance the knowledge and science to improve behavioral health outcomes; 2. Operationalize collaborative integration of theories, study design, and analysis into multi-level interventions that improve behavioral health outcomes due to an the interplay of biological, behavioral, physical environment, health care system, economic, and political forces in our representative rural, AI/AN, Latino and other partner communities; 3. Expand the development of a diverse scientific workforce by training new and early stage under-represented minority investigators in a transdisciplinary context, to conduct community engaged, multi- level intervention behavioral health research; and 4. Cultivate equitable collaborations with community and tribal stakeholders regionally and nationally in order to translate and co-disseminate transdisciplinary research evidence into practice and policy. The combined human, intellectual and relational resources and institutional commitments of Tree Center office space, travel funding for engaging with the Community Scientific Advisory Committee and dedicated mentoring of senior faculty will strengthen our impact in training the next generation of under-represented minorities and advancing the behavioral health of diverse populations in the southwest.
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